Arsenal in hunt for Moroccan centre-back

IT’S no secret Arsenal are looking to strengthen their defence over the off-season and, according to the Daily Star, Bayern Munich’s Medhi Benatia is very much on their radar.

The Daily Star claims French outlet Get French Football News believe talks are already underway between the Moroccan centre-back and the north London giants.

And it seems Benatia – who has three years left on his Bayern contract – is desperate for a move away from the Bundesliga, saying: “Here in Munich I have experienced the two most difficult years in my career.

“I don’t wish what has happened to me on anyone. I want to be part of the team.”

To be fair to Benatia, he’s been plagued by injury for much of his time in Germany which goes a long way to explaining why he’s only made 29 appearances for the club since arriving from Roma in 2014 for £20million.

However, that in itself must be a concern to Arsenal and their manager Arsene Wenger, particularly given the physical nature of the Premier League and the number of games played.

But clearly Benatia has quality. At 29 years of age, he should really be in the prime of his career and, even though he’ll offer little or no sell-on value, the Gunners would expect to get a good four or five years out of him.

With Mats Hummels having recently joined Bayern from Borussia Dortmund, the German double winners appear ready to move Benatia on.

But Arsenal will face competition, with the Daily Star suggesting Juventus are keen on the defender, while Roma are also interested in bringing him back to the Italian capital.